Affordable Care Act starts with mixed reactions

Enrollment process frustrating; Medicaid may be option for many

PORTSMOUTH — It sounded pretty straightforward. Visit www.HealthCare.gov, type in your state, answer a few questions, and you would be given options to purchase health insurance in the newly opened marketplace under the Affordable Care Act.

Comment

By Suzanne Laurent

seacoastonline.com

By Suzanne Laurent

Posted Oct. 4, 2013 at 2:00 AM

By Suzanne Laurent

Posted Oct. 4, 2013 at 2:00 AM

AT A GLANCe

Marketplace enrollment

Visit www.HealthCare.gov. Open enrollment ends March 31, 2014. Sign up by Dec. 15 for coverage to begin Jan. 1, 2014.

For information, call the Marketplace Call...

» Read more

X

AT A GLANCe

Marketplace enrollment

Visit www.HealthCare.gov. Open enrollment ends March 31, 2014. Sign up by Dec. 15 for coverage to begin Jan. 1, 2014.

For information, call the Marketplace Call Center at (800) 318-2596.

» Social News

PORTSMOUTH — It sounded pretty straightforward. Visit www.HealthCare.gov, type in your state, answer a few questions, and you would be given options to purchase health insurance in the newly opened marketplace under the Affordable Care Act.

But, with the Congressional battle ending in a government shutdown over the very fact that the marketplace opened at midnight Oct. 1, many who have tried to explore their options online have put their shopping on hold.

Others faced long waits to have questions answered after placing telephone calls to the Marketplace Call Center.

The Centers for Medicaid and Medicare estimate more than 2.8 million people across the country visited the www.HealthCare.gov Web site on Oct. 1.

While the much-anticipated insurance exchanges are finally open, health officials say there is no need to rush.

Lisa Kaplan Howe, policy director for New Hampshire Voices for Health, said she tried to go through the process of navigating the Web site a few times and ran into glitches.

"There is a such a significant interest, which shows a real need for this insurance," she said. "But people need to bear in mind, they have until Dec. 15 to sign up and still be covered on Jan. 1."

Kim Lefevre, a social worker at Families First Health & Support Center in Portsmouth, received training as a certified application counselor for the marketplace.

Since Tuesday, she has received numerous calls from Families First patients seeking information about how to enroll and expressing frustration with trying to go online or reach the call center.

"They've also been asking things like how to get insurance if they can't apply for the marketplace or how much their co-pays would be," Lefevre said.

Agencies such as Families First and Lamprey Health Center, with a location in Newmarket, are waiting to see whether Medicaid expansion goes through. If it does, adults with an income of 0 percent to 138 percent of the federal poverty level will be eligible for coverage under that program.

New Hampshire's current Medicaid program covers low-income children, parents with nondisabled children under 18, pregnant women, elderly residents and people with disabilities.

The marketplace insurance exchanges will not cover those who make under 100 percent of poverty level, so there would be a group of the poorest adults who could not receive insurance.

A nine-member commission has been studying the state's expansion of Medicaid, and a written report is due in the Legislature by Tuesday, Oct. 15.

"We would know by mid-November if this will happen or not," said Helen Taft, executive director of Families First. "People who may fall into this expansion category might want to wait before trying to sign up in the marketplace."

While certified application counselors such as Lefevre at Families First were trained primarily to help their own clientele, there are also trained enrollment navigators who can assist anyone in the states they serve. The navigators were trained through federal grants.

In New Hampshire, Planned Parenthood of Northern New England and Bi-State Primary Care Association received grants.

Families First has one enrollment navigator on site at Community Campus, who is available by appointment by calling 422-8208.

Navigators will help people shop through the marketplace and explain the levels of plans, premiums and deductibles. As the plan rolls out and the Web site and call center are running more smoothly, those looking to purchase insurance through the marketplace can look for information sessions at their local libraries or health and wellness fairs.